The British late Renaissance composer Willam Byrd was, as he himself said, fascinated by the process of setting words to music – but at the same time he was an organist in his main profession, so he was also familiar with complex polyphonic structures. Byrd is one of the most important representatives of this period, although only a small number of his works have been preserved in writing; the variety of subjects and musical influences in his vocal works ranges from folk elements to ancient mythology and homage to his famous teacher Thomas Tallis. In addition to works for keyboard instruments, many compositions prescribe a ‘consort’ of several instruments without this being precisely defined – around 1600 it was quite common for these pieces to be played by a group of viols as well as flutes. The bFive Recorder Consort and soprano Sunhae Im immerse themselves in an astonishingly colourful world of sound that is not commonplace today.